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Boston Celtics Need a Confidence Boost Against the Knicks

By Joshua Bateman

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 2: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics goes up for a dunk during a game against the New York Knicks on April 2, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 2: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics goes up for a dunk during a game against the New York Knicks on April 2, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics have an opportunity to get their confidence up against the Knicks

The Boston Celtics have had a rough start to the season, and the injuries have continued to pile up after the utter devastation of opening night. The Celtics have not looked nearly as good as everyone expected, and that is not only because of the loss of Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics are forcing things, and pressing the issue far too often on offense. Nobody is consistently playing in rhythm, and getting the whole unit to perform properly.

We knew there would be a transition for the Celtics, but this is worse than anyone was expecting heading into the season.

Right now, the Celtics need to use this matchup against a lesser opponent like the New York Knicks to get some of their confidence back. The Celtics got their first victory of the season, which certainly helps.

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Now they need to finally impose their will on a team, and at least give us a glimpse to the potential of all this talent. The Celtics have had opportunities to win all three of their games, but they have also left it wide open for their opponent to steal.

Against the Knicks, the Celtics need to make sure there is no doubt. The Celtics do not want to be in a position where one late run will cost them the win, and they should be able to do that against the Knicks.

The Celtics have gotten some surprise performances, and had unexpected depth help them get that first win. Against the Knicks, it is about time the reliable players elevated their game to the highest level.

Even if the Celtics are not functioning exactly how they want to, if the talent can work together in some way, then there is always the potential to blow up.

The Celtics have gotten good performances from Al Horford and Kyrie Irving, and this Knicks game is an opportunity for them to truly dominate, and bring together this Celtics team that looks lost right now.

The depth can be a part of it too. The Celtics will have a lot of matchups they can exploit, but they do not want to get stuck trying to attack by themselves. If the Celtics attack the weaknesses as a unit, then they should be in line for a really big game. Hopefully big enough to spark a nice run by the team.

The Celtics have two difficult and important games with the Heat and Bucks after the Knicks. The Celtics need to make sure they find some confidence and find something that works for them before they get to those games.

The Celtics know that they can quickly get back above .500, but not if they do not step up their game. And if they don’t, the Celtics could be looking at one of the worst starts in years.

The Celtics get the boost from that first win. Now, if they can have a convincing victory, then they get get their heads in the right place to go on the kind of run that was going to be regularly expected from this team.

It could be hard to reach this point because of the injuries. Hayward aside, the Celtics may have to wait till they get the rest of the players back before they can really go on a run like that.

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That being said, the Celtics are still going into these games with more talent, and they need to find a way for that to be the difference. If that is the case, then we could forget about this 1-2 start really quick.

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